If it's late October and it's the Midwest, weather is probably going to be a factor. Sure enough, the World Series opens tonight in St. Louis in dreary conditions: Temperatures in the 40s, rain in the forecast and a strong wind blowing across the field from left to right.

It doesn't appear the conditions are bad enough to necessitate a delay, but it'll be interesting to see how the two teams handle the situation, especially a Rangers club that is used to playing in a much warmer climate.

Both clubs were able to set up their rotations to have their No. 1 starters on the mound, so it's Chris Carpenter vs. C.J. Wilson. This would be a nice time for either ace to actually toss a quality start, something no member of either rotation did during the LCS.

Because the game is being played in an NL park, there will be no DH tonight or tomorrow. That shouldn't be a big deal for the Rangers, who will have Michael Young at first base (he's adept at all four infield positions, and Mitch Moreland hasn't been particularly effective himself during the postseason)…

Neither Furcal nor Punto have been doing much in terms of OBP in the playoffs — plus which Furcal has had a pretty dismal hitting year all around. I'm surprised we aren't seeing something like this from LaRussa:JayPujolsHolidayBerkmanFreeseMolinaFurcalCarpenter (pitcher's spot)PuntoThat would increase the likelihood of Pujols, Holiday, Berkman and maybe even Freese getting an extra AB in the game.

jd said… Steve M.'The Braves made it into an art form this year of getting their starters into the 6th inning and then the bullpens would take over and look what happened, they got tired bullpen arms in mid-September.'I made a comment mid summer that I thought Fredi was managing in a very mechanical way; like he discovered something magical that was working and he wasn't changing the script no matter what. I thought this may bite him in the ass eventually and I'm afraid I was right.I like managers that don't put tags on pitchers and understand that you can maximize your win probability by using the best pitchers in the proper circumstances (Tony Larusa). October 19, 2011 4:59 PM _________________________________Glad you all brought this up as LaRussa has been managing his bullpen to be on the ready to go 6 innings a game and at some point you would think it will catch up with you as it surely did with the Atlanta Braves.My thoughts looking at bullpen numbers as well as starters is that everyone has a number on their bodies and when you push it like the speedometer on your car for too long the whole machine will sputter.I wonder if there will be long-term damage almost akin to what people said about Chad Cordero who put in 84 innings of relief for the Expos and then 70+ innings year after year to 2007.Venters went 83 last year and 88 this year. Kimbrel went 77 this year in his Rookie year.

Go Cards. Sweep the Rangers so we can get on with the Hot Stove League!Derek Norris had a very encouraging game today in the AFL. (Harper had the day off.) This is from MLB.com:Scorpions catcher and No. 5 Nationals prospect Norris went 3-for-4 with a homer and two RBIs of his own. The day marked his first multi-hit performance in eight games and increased his average from .208 to .286. (He also stole his second base.)"I was just attacking the ball early in the count," Norris said. "I was focused on getting a good pitch out in the zone and trying to put the barrel on it."Norris also called a strong game behind the plate, getting five scoreless innings out of starter Chris Scholl (Angels). The 23-year-old right-hander allowed just four hits and a walk, striking out five.A fourth-round pick in 2007, Norris showed power and patience this year for Double-A Harrisburg, but failed to hit consistently. He posted 20 homers and a .367 on-base percentage in 104 games, but those numbers came with a .210 average.The 22-year-old backstop's main goal in the AFL is to improve upon that one weakness in his offensive game."I'm just trying to be more aggressive at the plate," Norris said. "I felt like I took way too many pitches over the course of this past year. I'm just trying to put the ball in play and see what happens."

Ok…. That was one of the greatest baseball games I've ever watched…. I know I said the Cardinals would win, but I never expected the game to be that well played.But then again, there was no Nyjer (or Nyger as our most ignorant posters write) playing this game.

That was a good game, and I did manage to stay up until the last out. It helped that the starters, well, Carpenter at least, went a bit deeper into the game. When Washington headed out with the hook in the 5th, I said to myself, and so it begins…Last but not least, loved the operatic Kettle chips commercial. I also like the DirecTV commercials with Neon Deion, though I've been watching them throughout the playoffs.(And yes to Feel Wood re. the Cards 'pen.)

Really was a good baseball game. Thought the Cardinals set the tone getting Kinsler on a caught stealing in the first inning. That takes away a lot of what the Rangers like to do. Both managers made good moves and if Cruz catches that ball they still might be playing.Was surprised I stayed up for all 9 innings but it kept you involved.I have no horse in this race, not particularly fond of LaRussa but like what Berkman has done this year and Albert is just a beast. Great play by Carpenter on the play early on as well. I like the Rangers backstory with Hamilton but he does not look nearly as scary at the plate as Albert. I will just enjoy the baseball.I read in ESPN the mag. that Buster Olney has us as the favorites to land both Fielder and Wilson. When did we get to be such big players in FA market. Hope this does not turn into a Dan Snyder type team.Go Nats!!

sjm, I agree with Mark Zuckerman on Prince Fielder. I would gladly take CJ Wilson however I think he is a fringe Ace and not better than Strasburg or Jordan Zimmermann. Certainly better than any other pitcher in Free Agency not named CC just not the Cliff Lee type who would be a true Ace #1. He would help the Nats being a lefty in the lefty strong NL East.CJ Wilson would help in the Nats rotation to get the Nats into the playoffs. If Wilson was matched up against any other pitchers besides the other teams #1 like Carpenter, he probably gets more run support and wins.

First, the Cardinals bullpen is much better than the Rangers bullpen so I think the Cards will win in 6 games.Second, CJ Wilson is not even a "fringe ace" whatever that means he would be nice to have but not worth the reported years and $80+ million.

CJ Wilson was a top 30 pitcher in the league in 2011. Unfortunately he hasn't shown to be a big game pitcher in the All Star game or in Post Season when your Aces need to show up.If the Nats got him, he projects better than any lefthanded pitcher the Nats have or could get in trade like a Wandy Rodriguez. Again if you look at a 2.95 ERA guy vs. a 3.45 ERA guy like Wandy you save 1/2 a run a game for 30 starts is 15 runs a season. SPEND THAT MONEY ON OFFENSE!

Steve M – entirely agree about Rodriguez over WilsonI am not a huge fan of paying that kind of money for an overweight first baseman for 7-10 years but I keep hearing our name in the mix so Boras must be stiring things up.I do have to admit, that its kind of neat to see us in print with all these deals. We sure don't see Baltimore or Pittsburg or even the Mets involved in much so far. I think there is no doubt we are on the rise and people are now taking notice of us.